Smartphones have completely revolutionised life as we know it, impacting our culture socially and economically. Each variant that pops up includes a feature that changes the way we undertake even the simplest of tasks, for example, no longer is the short message system limited to only words but now you can share pictures and videos adding emphasis to any message that you convey.

The quality of these however, depends on the technology used especially the hardware, the type of camera and whether the camera has a flash. With the ever rising demand for capturing with precision all of our most cherished moment, a new frontier emerged, that of smart phones with cameras and cameras with smart phones.

THE NOKIA LUMIA 1020

The Nokia Lumia 1020 belongs to the latter category, and hence was seen as a theoretical must-have for socialites, business men and everyone alike, yet the sales stats indicate otherwise. Since it was first unveiled on 11 July 2013 the Lumia has dropped in popularity on Amazon from 13th place during its first week of release to 25th only a week later.

The Nokia Corporation, once a communications and information technology giant, has not been doing all that well since the beginning of the smartphone revolution that began with the entry of the iPhone into the smartphone market. It’s not that the company’s phones were bad or overly complex but the Finland-based multinational just was not able to meet the needs of the masses who were being wooed by compelling differentiation of the features presented by Android and iOS.

NOKIA RE-ENTERS THE MARKET…

Nokia’s first trial at re-entry into the smartphone market was the Lumia 800 back in October 2011, running on Windows 7.5 OS (Mango). With a Clear black AMOLED screen and supporting America’s communications AT&T 3G network, 1.4 GHz single-core processor 8megapixel camera and 720p video output.

… BUT THEN THERE WAS THE SAMSUNG S2

At the same period that Samsung released the Samsung S2 running android version 2.3 (gingerbread) which was updatable to android 4.0.4, (Ice Cream Sandwich), 1.2 GHz dual-core processor an 8megapixel camera and with 1080p full High Definition video output and among the first devices to offer Mobile High-definition link (MHL allows consumers connect portable consumer electronic devices with high-definition televisions) among other remarkable features.

… AND THE APPLE iPHONE4S

Apple, on October 14 of the same year, released the iPhone 4S which ran on iOS 5.0, 800MHz dual-core processor and a graphics processing unit an 8megapixel camera and also with a 1080 HD. It also featured a front camera of 0.3megapixels, a fingerprint resistant screen and ambient light sensor, superior architecture merged with a sleek design.

NOKIA NO WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY

With Samsung and Apple having released such superior gadgets Nokia did not stand a chance. After its release Nokia had targeted to make a sales of 2 million sales but by November the same year Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette estimated that the Lumia would only have managed a quarter of the estimate.

One website cites that, “Lumia phones sell out very quickly because shipments are tiny not because demand is hot. Carriers have zero faith in their consumers demand for the Windows phone so they place exceptionally small orders. Retail partners refuse to stock up in fear of getting stuck with inventory”.

NOKIA SQUEEZED

Magnus Rehle, senior partner of Greenwich Consulting, a company that advices telecom companies said that, “Nokia lost the battle in expensive smartphones to Apple and Samsung. And at the low end, they have very strong competition from the Chinese.”

The Finnish retailer Verkkokauppa assessed the situation:  “Lumia 920 devices (1020 inclusive) have ten times lower return rate than the iPhone 5 and two times lower return rates than the Samsung Galaxy S4. Other Lumia devices such as the 720 and 620 have even lower return rates”.

SAMSUNG ZOOMS

Yet the Samsung S4 zoom has had better reception despite similarities overwhelming the differences between it and the Lumia 1020. The S4 Zoom is a variant of Samsung’s best-selling Galaxy S4, but includes a smaller 4.3-inch display attached to a 16-megapixel camera with a 10x optical zoom. The Lumia 1020 is a Windows Phone 8 device with a 4.7-inch and a 41-megapixel shooter connected to a 6x optical zoom.

Despite this obvious advantage the Galaxy S4 Zoom makes navigating its Camera app’s settings easy and straightforward. Furthermore, the Zoom offers significantly more shooting options in one spot. Be as it may, Nokia has had a rough run and the lack of some of the most popular apps including Instagram, Vine and Flipboard cripples them even further.

Apple and Samsung are going to be on their usual head to head but the future of Nokia grows dimmer and dimmer.